Vanilla Paradise Tours

🌸Tours Update: We’ve launched a new Sugar Mill Tour, and both tours now take place every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.🌸 🎄 Christmas & New Year Tour Schedule We will be offering both the Vanilla Tour and the Mill Tour on: 23 December • 26 December • 30 December • 2 January No tours on 25 December or 1 January

〰️

🌸Tours Update: We’ve launched a new Sugar Mill Tour, and both tours now take place every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.🌸 🎄 Christmas & New Year Tour Schedule We will be offering both the Vanilla Tour and the Mill Tour on: 23 December • 26 December • 30 December • 2 January No tours on 25 December or 1 January 〰️

Where Nature, Heritage and Flavour Come Alive

At Vanilla Paradise Nevis, every visit is a journey. Our two distinct, signature experiences - one steeped in industrial history and the other rooted in pioneering cultivation - offer an authentic encounter with the island's unique spirit.

Our Two Signature Experiences

The Vanilla Tour invites you into the world of vanilla cultivation, the first in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, where you’ll explore our shade houses, learn about the “ice cream orchid,” and discover how this prized spice is grown and, of course, taste it!

The Hamilton Estate Sugar Mill Tour stands apart as a heritage experience: an opportunity to visit a key site in the island’s sugar-making history.

Featured In:

Read the article about Vanilla Paradise Nevis that appeared in the June 2025 edition of National Geographic

Our Tours & Experiences

The Vanilla Tour – The Full Vanilla Experience in Nevis

  • Explore our shade houses, home to over 3,000 thriving vanilla orchids.

  • Travel back in time to discover the story of vanilla from its ancient origins to its place as the world’s favourite flavour.

  • Explore our sustainable farming practices that nurture healthy vines and protect the surrounding ecosystem.

  • Watch hand-pollination demonstrations (seasonal).

  • Understand how much vanilla influences our life — is there anything that does not use vanilla? — a sensory and tactile experience.

  • Discover unique art pieces crafted by local artisans, celebrating the island’s creative heritage.

  • Enjoy “Liquid Gold” — the vanilla drink once enjoyed by Montezuma, King of the Aztecs — together with our vanilla-infused desserts, at the Vanilla Café.

  • You will also meet our four-legged Vanilla Team — Toni the Ridgeback and kittens Vani, Nilla, and Cupcake — who love greeting visitors!

Price and Timings

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (approx.)

  • Adults: US $60
    Includes “Liquid Gold” beverage and two vanilla-infused desserts

  • Children under 10: Free (includes vanilla ice cream)

  • Residents: 20% discount

🎄 Christmas & New Year Tour Schedule

We will be offering both the Vanilla Tour and the Mill Tour on:

23 December • 26 December • 30 December • 2 January

No tours on 25 December or 1 January

  • Visit and explore the historic Hamilton Estate Sugar Mill, an important site along the Nevis Heritage Trail.

  • Visit the remains of both the wind- and steam-powered mill.

  • See how innovation shaped the island’s sugar industry.

  • Understand how the estate was once operated and why it remains important today.

  • Visit Remembrance Outlook, honouring the enslaved people who worked on the Estate at the time of emancipation.

  • Visit our Vanilla Café, built on the ruins of the former Estate Manager’s house.

  • Your Hamilton Estate Sugar Mill Tour is guided by a tour leader who knows the site well and shares its history with enthusiasm and care!

Hamilton Estate Sugar Mill Tour –

History Brought to Life

Price and Timings

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
09:00 AM – 09:45AM (approx.)

  • Adults: US $20

  • Children under 10: Free

  • Residents: 20% discount

🎄 Christmas & New Year Tour Schedule

We will be offering both the Vanilla Tour and the Mill Tour on:

23 December • 26 December • 30 December • 2 January

No tours on 25 December or 1 January

An elderly woman wearing a pink hat, white shirt, and pink skirt standing in a garden between green and yellow colorful panels with the words 'VANILLA' and 'PARADISE' on them.

Your Tour Leader

Gina and her team personally welcome visitors, sharing the journey of our vanilla farm and the history of the Hamilton Estate Mill, and how both connect to the island’s heritage and the beloved “ice cream spice.”

“Every tour is a conversation — full of insight, laughter, and that unforgettable aroma of the world’s favourite spice!”
— Gina Empson, Vanilla Paradise Nevis Founder
A woman, a woman with a hat, a young boy, and a dog are gathered around an old, rusty mechanical device outdoors. The woman is crouching and pointing at the device, while the woman with the hat and the dog observe. The boy looks on, and there is a fe
A group of people sitting outdoors on a bench and a person standing in front of them, listening to a woman sitting on a yellow structure. The setting is a lush, green area with a small yellow building, trees, and potted plants.
A smiling woman wearing a large navy blue sun hat and pink shirt interacting with an older man wearing glasses, a navy blue cap, and a blue shirt outdoors with greenery and a wooden table in the background.
A smiling woman wearing a large blue hat and pink shirt holding binoculars, standing outdoors at a gathering with a yellow structure and other people around.
Tourists entering a ginger shade on a farm, wearing hats and casual clothing.
A person holding a young child while standing in a plant nursery or farm with rows of plants and a shaded canopy overhead.
A young child with curly hair walking on a path through a cornfield surrounded by green plants and corn stalks, with a structure in the background.
A woman wearing a large blue hat and a pink shirt, smiling and laughing while standing among green leafy plants and wooden poles, outdoors in bright sunlight.
A man giving a tour or instruction to a group of people on a farm or plantation with tall green plants and wooden support structures.
An elderly woman wearing a blue hat and pink shirt smiling among green leaves and wooden sticks, with people in the foreground.
A man wearing glasses, a baseball cap, and casual clothing speaking and gesturing during an outdoor tour in a lush cornfield with several women listening, some wearing hats.
Group of people on a guided tour inside a greenhouse or orchid farm, surrounded by green leafy plants, with a woman in a pink shirt and black hat speaking to the group.

Plan Your Visit

Where: Historic Hamilton Estate, near Charlestown, Nevis

Group size: To ensure an optimal experience for everyone, we limit the maximum number of participants per tour to 15. Please contact us for group bookings exceeding this number.

For the Vanilla Tour:

  • Please note that the vanilla farm is a delicate environment — the vines are easily damaged, so we kindly ask parents to keep a close eye on their little explorers and ensure everyone walks carefully and respects the plants.

  • Accessibility: The Vanilla tour involves light walking on gentle terrain, with opportunities to rest beneath the shade of our Ginep trees. Please bring a sunhat and sun-lotion as well as water. Sturdy shoes are recommended if it has been raining. Our team is happy to assist visitors who may need extra time or support.

For the Hamilton Mill Tour:

  • Accessibility: The Mill tour involves light walking on uneven terrain. Please bring a sunhat and sun-lotion as well as water. Sturdy shoes are recommended if it has been raining. Our team is happy to assist visitors who may need extra time or support.

Age guideline: Children of all ages are welcome. Our gentle canine host Toni and the farm cats adore meeting young visitors.

Parking: Available at the Hamilton Estate entrance

Directions: Detailed directions will be provided upon booking confirmation

Weather: Tours may be rescheduled in the event of severe weather. All booked guests will be informed

The Vanilla Café is OPEN! Mon-Sat, 9AM - 1PM! We can't wait to welcome you!

〰️

The Vanilla Café is OPEN! Mon-Sat, 9AM - 1PM! We can't wait to welcome you! 〰️

An aerial view of a yellow house with a green roof, surrounded by green trees, with a view of the ocean and mountains in the background.

The Vanilla Café at Hamilton Estate is now open!
The new space includes:

  • An accessible ramp for visitors with mobility needs

  • Accessible Restrooms

  • A welcoming café serving locally inspired vanilla refreshments

  • Vanilla products and local crafts for sale

  • Ample free parking

Follow our Journal, Facebook and Instagram!

Find out more HERE!

Discover the Magic of Vanilla Paradise Nevis

Have a Question?

If you have any questions about our tours, please get in touch by sending us an email at info@vanilla-paradise-nevis.com.